Like most cities DC has bad areas and good areas. In DC these are tiny and largely isolated to small pockets. During the real estate boom and over past 20 years the city has seen huge changes. Despite the previous comment I would strongly encourage people to visit neighborhoods in Southeast. If you are a lover of history there is much to see. Eastern Market and Barracks Row are in Southeast and have much to offer. Even old Anacostia has seen a revival and is gaining a Heritage Trial walking tour. As in most major metropolis's one must only exercise common sense when walking anywhere in the any city. Visit Cultural Toursim DC for info on the walking tours.

Other than Pasco I'd suspect it could also be Pullman (where Washington State University was/is), Walla Walla, or perhaps Clarkston. Yakima is more south-central Washington.

[As noted below, this is one of hundreds of photos taken in Washington, D.C., by Marjory Collins. The car has a District of Columbia license plate. "Southeast" means the city's southeast quadrant. - Dave]